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<title>Audio System For Technical Readings</title>
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<h1>Abstract</h1>

Topic: Audio System for Technical Readings <br> 
Time: 13:15 <br> 
Date: 17 January, 1994 <br> 
Place: 5130 UpsonHall, <br>
Cornell University, <br>
Ithaca, NY 14853 

<hr> The advent of electronic documents makes information available in more
than its visual form ---electronic information can now be display-independent.
We describe a computing system, AsTeR, that <em>audio formats</em> electronic
documents to produce audio documents.  AsTeR can speak both literary texts and
highly technical documents (presently in La)TeX) that contain complex
mathematics.
<p>

Visual communication is characterized by the eye's ability to actively
access parts of a two-dimensional  display.  The reader is active, while the
display   is passive.  This active-passive role is reversed by
the temporal nature of oral communication:  information flows
actively past a passive listener.  This prohibits multiple views
---it is impossible to first obtain a high-level view and then
``look'' at  details.  These shortcomings
become  severe when presenting complex mathematics orally.
<p>

Audio formatting, which  renders information structure
in a manner attuned to an auditory display, overcomes these
problems.  AsTeR is  interactive, and  the ability to browse
information structure and obtain multiple views enables
<em>active</em> listening.
<p>

--Raman

<hr>
<address>raman@crl.dec.com</address>
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Last modified: Wed Aug 10 18:08:31 1994
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